MAYBE "good for Kahn"? There was a +7 Math rise from grade 6 to grade 7 in ED. If most of this was from Graham (where Kahn Academy self-paced instruction was tested), it may portend improvement in MS math - IF teachers dedicated to this method are slowly phased in.

Posted by Jerry Talley
a resident of North Whisman
on Sep 19, 2012 at 8:53 am

I look forward to a day when superintendents stop celebrating their test scores. Did we improve creativity? Did we even bother to measure the students' love of learning? Did students advance in their group skills? Are they learning to think independently?

We're being fed the answers to the wrong questions. The key to education is variability across students, which is masked by reporting average scores by group. Not every child learns at the same pace, in the same way, or is drawn to the same subjects. That variability is their strength; it should be nurtured, not ignored.

Posted by Steven Nelson
a resident of Cuesta Park
on Sep 24, 2012 at 9:26 am

Terry,
of course you are right. There are many facets to learning. PACT (Stevenson) has the most creative setup in the District. It has some of the highest 'standardized' test scores in the District. It should - it is tied with the lowest % of Economically Disadvantaged and the highest educated parents. Even then PACT gets bashed by prospective parents (see GreatSchools) for not having the highest possible [say 999] "bubble test" results.
As a math and science teacher let me say - it is extremely hard for a teacher and a kid when a 4-5th grader CANNOT DO DIVISION, because they have never mastered the times-table. These are the kids that absolutely need extra help: classroom, summer and after school.
Our superintendent has access to a parent survey that the district does yearly. This is very poorly communicated to the public and to parents (Below Basic as we say in ed speak).
Chris Chaing, who is another candidate for MVWSD, has some interesting perspectives on this from New York school surveys.
SN is a candidate for MVWSD Trustee (Quality, Equality, Economy, Ethics)
P.S. 'fast math' kids usually love to do 'free reading' when they finish early

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